Broom or whisk



(No Model.) l y J. H. MOBLDOWNEY.

BROM 0R WHISK. l

No. 429,459. Pantani-.Sanne s. 1890.

i lllll NITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE',

JAMES II. McELDowNEY, on DE'rRoIT, MICHIGAN.

BRoolvloR-wHlsK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,469, dated June 3, 1890.

Application filed June 27, 1888- Serial No. 278,363. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. McELDovvNEY, ofDetroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Brooms or Whisks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention is an improved form of shoulder plate or piece for use in brooms.

My objects are to provide a shoulder-piece which may be readily put in place` and fastened upon the stock, one which, while having flexibility to enable it to be placed in position and fitted to the foundation-straws, will also be sufficiently rigid to afford a firm bearing for the outside straws andhold them in the desired form against displacement. Further, I desire to provide a shoulder which will take up little space, so that the broom can be made compact and all the outer parts will have a positive bearing from the foundation portions.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a portion of a broom stock or handle with the foundation-straw in place. Fig. 2 is a view of the same with my improved intermediate shoulder-plate in place, and Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of the complete broom with one side broken away to show the relative arrangement of the parts constituting said broom. y

It will be understood that the invention is applicable to house-brooms particularly, but equally so to whislcs and brooms of all kinds where it is necessary to provide projectingy shoulders from a central supporting-stock, so

as to produce a broom of broad sweep supported from a central and comparatively small handle. My invention is therefore broad enough in its scope to include all brooms of this general class. Y

I lay the foundation for the shoulders of my broom by securing a cluster of' broomstraws to the stock a by means of a suitable binding-wire b, and these straws entirely surround the end of the handle a; but more are arranged upon opposite sides of the stock than upon the other two sides, so as to provide a suitable foundation for the shoulder of the broom. The improved shoulder consists of a'plate c, which in the present case I have shown as composed of thin metal bent to conform to the desired shape of the broomshoulders and adapted to cover closely the projecting upper ends of the foundation structure of straws. This plate may bc made in two parts and applied upon either side with a semicircular opening cut in the top of each half to fit around the stock a, and an upwardly-turned flange d may be also provided, as shown, by which it may be secured in place by a fastening-wire clamping the said ange to the stock. When the shoulder-plate is made, however, of flexible material, I simply slit it upon one side, forming a circular opening in the top, and then apply it as shown in Fig. 2, securing it in place by the same flange CZ, above referred to. It will be noticed that by reason of making the shoulder of a thinv sheet of material it has sufficient flexibility to enable it to be put in place and fitted to the foundation, and when in place it affords a practically rigid bearing for the finishing straws; also, it takes up little space and the outer straws lie practically as close upon the foundation-straws at the lower edge of the shoulder as would be the.

case were the shoulder not used. There is consequent-ly no looseness at this point and the broom -head is compactly and firmly made. By employing a thin sheet of material another: advantage is secured, as the shoulder can be formed conveniently by pressing the material into proper form, and, as shown in Fig. 2, the shoulder covers the sides and also the edges of` the foundation-straws and aids in shaping the entire broom.

Instead of being made of metal, the shoulder-plate may be made of any suitable material-such as pasteboard or papier-mache. Over this shoulder-plate the outer covering, technically known as hurl, is secured in position by binding around its outer ends and by stitching across the flat portion of the broom below the end of the stock, as in the ordinary manner.

A material advantage arises from the use of the shoulder-plate formed divided, as above wire which is used to secure the foundationstraws in place may be brought through the slit in the plate and then used to bind together the outer layers of straws, thus avoiding cutting the wire.

IOO

with mi opening in the top conforming to the shape of the stock and having a. flange d for the binding-Wire, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 15 name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JAMES H. MCELDOVVNEY.

Vtnesses:

GEO. D. MUSSEY, F. K. MGELDOWNEY. 

